Chapter 469 Feng Lai guesses Xiao Yan’s identity
Feng Lai had long since learned of Xiao Yan's identity, and he had been trying to understand the reasons behind Xiao Yan's actions since entering the court. After his doubts were resolved, many things no longer seemed strange to him.
Feng Lai opened his mouth and said, "But the He family affair and the Crown Prince's affair are almost one and the same. His Majesty is extremely secretive about the past events. This case also concerns the late emperor's integrity and is related to your Majesty's throne. Any reversal will cause unrest in the imperial power and the court. Your Majesty will never allow anyone to overturn the verdict for them."
"Although Governor Xiao brought down the Lu family, this matter is different. If you make even the slightest move and reveal your identity, His Majesty will eliminate you without hesitation."
Feng Lai knew Emperor An too well, and he knew how he ascended the throne.
His illegitimate access to power has made him suspicious and fickle in recent years, and the affairs of the former crown prince and the He family are secrets that he cannot mention.
Emperor An could tolerate the destruction of the Lu family out of his own selfishness and some shameful interests, but once anyone touched upon the affairs of the He family and Crown Prince Li, Emperor An would be furious.
Xiao Yan raised his lips: "I know, that's why I won't do it. As for other things, Emperor An is taking care of himself and has no time to touch me."
Feng Lai looked puzzled, not understanding how Xiao Yan had managed to avoid a direct confrontation with Emperor An, or even prevent him from attacking him. However, seeing Xiao Yan's determined expression, he still asked, "Is there anything I can do to help?"
Xiao Yan said, "Eunuch Feng is an eunuch beside Emperor An. If you want to stay safe, you must not interfere too much. Besides, since Liu Tong'en is suspicious, he will definitely keep a close eye on you. Any movement on your part will reveal your presence."
"I have my own arrangements for the outside world. You just need to stay by Emperor An's side and proceed as usual."
He paused and said:
"Of course, if possible, you can mention Yu Yanfeng to His Majesty on the premise of protecting yourself."
Feng Lai narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, "Does Governor Xiao want to use him to share Commander Liu's grace?"
Xiao Yan nodded: "That's what I meant."
Feng Lai agreed immediately after hearing this: "I will do my best."
Feng Lai has always been a very obedient person. He did not ask about Xiao Yan's future arrangements, nor did he try to find out things he shouldn't know. He didn't even get to the bottom of what happened with the Lu family.
He just chatted with Xiao Yan for a few more words, talked about Emperor An's current health condition, and then stood up to say goodbye.
When he was being led away from Yueli Terrace, he looked back at the door and saw Xiao Yan talking to the girl beside him.
His eyes fell on Xiao Yan's handsome and exquisite face. The completely unfamiliar appearance made the corners of his mouth and eyes darken slightly.
Xiao Yan on the other side seemed to feel his gaze turning back, and their eyes met. When Xiao Yan raised his eyebrows, Feng Lai bowed and saluted before turning around and following Jinyun out.
Seeing this, Xiao Yan's expression froze slightly. Tang Ning noticed that his expression was not right and asked in confusion.
"Brother, what's wrong?"
"Feng Lai must have guessed it." Xiao Yan thought thoughtfully.
Guessed it?
Tang Ning was stunned when he heard this. At first, he didn't react to what Xiao Yan meant. After a moment, he thought about the reason and was suddenly shocked.
"Brother, are you saying that Feng Lai has guessed your identity?"
Xiao Yan hummed, "My cousin from the He family and I are of the same age and similar build. The body that burned in the East Palace was completely disfigured, so no one can be sure whether it was He's cousin or me who died."
"Besides, Feng Lai has seen the appearance of my cousin and other members of the He family. By the age of eleven or twelve, their features are generally complete. Even if they have changed a lot over the years, it's impossible for them to not look even slightly similar."
"I'm wearing this completely unfamiliar face now. Since it can be said to be a member of the He family, it could also be Xie Chenan who escaped."
The most important thing is what Feng Lai just called himself.
Ever since he knew his identity, Feng Lai has always called him a slave.
Although the He family was once powerful and at the top of the aristocratic families, they were ultimately just court officials and not the masters.
Feng Lai had never been too humble to the head of the He family in the past, and now he had served the Holy Saint for many years and was quite arrogant. He could interact with the He family members as equals, or be a little humble, but he would never treat them as servants.
Xiao Yan was rarely tricked, so he smiled bitterly.
"He called himself that in front of me years ago, and I just responded subconsciously. This eunuch is truly too shrewd."
Tang Ning was worried: "Will he betray my brother?"
"Probably not."
Feng Lai knew Emperor An's health condition, and he understood the current situation in the court even better.
If he had known his identity when he just returned to Beijing, Feng Lai might have informed Emperor An to protect himself, or secretly found a way to deal with him, but it was too late now.
Not only did Feng Lai "conspire" with him to deceive the emperor, he also could not escape responsibility for what happened that year.
Xiao Yan said, "Feng Lai was able to manipulate things under the nose of the late emperor and gained the trust of Emperor An and Lu Chongyuan. He is very ambitious."
"If I were a member of the He family, he might not dare to put all his wealth on the line, but since I'm Xie Chen'an, it makes him feel at ease."
Emperor An had health problems, and almost all the adult princes were disabled. The remaining ones were either too young or their mothers' families were weak.
He dared to reveal his identity now, which meant he must have been prepared to take action. Feng Lai, who knew the secrets of the past, naturally understood that even if his identity was exposed, it should be legitimate and "orthodox".
Moreover, Feng Lai also understood that only if he succeeded could he safely leave the palace, extricate himself from the events of the past, and live out his remaining years in peace.
Otherwise, if he loses, Feng Lai will also die without a burial place.
Seeing that Tang Ning was still a little worried, Xiao Yan said, "Although I don't think Feng Lai would dare to do anything, I will still have someone keep an eye on him. If things don't work out, I'll let him catch a cold and recuperate for a few days."
"The palace banquet is coming soon. As long as we can get through these two days, Feng Lai won't have the chance to do anything even if he has other ideas."
He reached out and hugged Tang Ning, touching her hair: "Don't worry, I will be careful."
Tang Ning relaxed and leaned on Xiao Yan's shoulder, muttering, "I thought it was Feng Lai who was dealing with this, but it turned out to be Lord Cao. I didn't know Lord Cao and my grandfather had such a relationship."
She had always thought that when Prince Li got into trouble, her grandfather did not intervene at all in order to protect the Rong family. She never expected that he would actually stage such a huge drama with Cao Gong.
Not only did they hide it from the late emperor and Xie Tianyong, they also hid it from the Lu family. Even A-niang probably didn't know about it.
My grandfather might have known about the relationship between Concubine Xue and my mother for a long time. He even knew about my mother saving Xiao Yan and even condoned it.
However, he always kept a low profile and retired early to protect the Rong family.
Everyone said that Master Rong was timid, and even A'niang didn't know what he was thinking, otherwise A'niang would not have dared to let her tell her grandfather about the dragon-patterned pendant until her death.
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